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Mihradaenye
The Mihradaenye, or People of the Diamond Weaver, known derogatorily among humans as Witch Elves, are one of the four most prominent elven races on Terral. The Mihradaenye are among the most isolationist of the elven peoples, their populations historically lower than their cousins, living primarily in mountainous forests, though Mihradaenye communities can be located almost anywhere in Terral - assuming one can find them, for the Mihradaenye are a shy, yet curious people, preferring to remain away from human civilization due to historical grievances. The Mihradaenye see themselves as the wardens of magic and knowledge itself, given a divine purpose by their guiding spirit, the pseudo-deity known as the Diamond Weaver, or Mihrada, ''taking the form of a great, bejeweled spider-god of knowledge and wisdom. The Mihradaenye believe strongly in their mandate protect and nourish the spread of knowledge and wisdom throughout the world, to use the arts of magic to add to the luster and beauty of existence itself. Whilst a shy and seemingly alien people with a coldly logical and sometimes heartless countenance, shrouded in tales of witchcraft and sordid rumours, the Mihradaenye are in truth usually compassionate and erudite people, logical and patient, with a thriving cultural and intellectual life, with magic both pervasive and used responsibly among them, their people among the most talented wizards in the world, with an unusually high number of sorcerers - and beneath their cool, logical demeanours lay a deep sense of passion for life, wonder for the world and what lay beyond, and a burning, unquenchable love of learning and magic. Description Physical Characteristics The Mihradaenye, like all elves, are slender, graceful humanoids, with angular faces, high cheekbones, pointed ears and aslant, almond-shaped eyes with vertical irises. The Mihradaenye are distinguished by their wispy, almost frail bodies - theirs is a beauty exotic and almost alien in countenance, slender even for elves. They have very fair, almost white skin tones, with the more sorcerously-inclined having their flesh tinted faintly blue or cyan. Whilst the most frail of the elves physically speaking, they are almost always blessed with an abundance of intellect, cultivating some form of psionics among virtually all Mihradaenye, and their natural intellect and magically encharged blood giving them a skewed number of wizards, sorcerers and other mages among their population. Their capacity for learning and understanding is considerable, and they make up for their lack of strength with sheer talent, skill and speed. The Mihradaenye tend to have black, white, or blonde hair, with even more exotic colours like blue, purple and green present and relatively common, almost always silken and straight. Warriors and labourers tend to wear their hair short, with mages preferring long, elegant locks of hair often reaching down to the lower back, regardless of sex. Their eyes are almost always a shade of blue or cyan, and grey eyes are often believed to be the mark of a Seer or diviner. The Mihradaenye are the shortest of the elves, the men usually standing exactly five feet tall, the tallest often reaching 5'4, and the women are shorter, usually around 4'8'', able to reach about 5'2''. The Mihradaenye reach physical and mental maturity at the age of 30. Their lifespans are the longest of all the elves, and on average, a Mihradaenye will live until the age of 600-700 if they are not cut down from disease or murder. Like most elves, the Mihradaenye are psionic - they are capable of harnessing the power of their minds to a degree, and may share thoughts, concepts and emotions with other elves and sometimes non-elves, though it requires considerable concentration and trust among those involved. The Mihradaenye, similarly to other elves, can form a mental bond - almost always done with a dedicated lover such as a wife or husband, or platonic comrade like a sworn oath- or blood-sibling, which allows them to read eachothers' thoughts and impulses, communicate over limited distances, and share sensations and emotions. Psychology The Mihradaenye, like most elves, are considerably more sensitive than other races, feeling emotions with far greater intensity than non-elves. Unlike the Tahnedaenye, who control their thoughts and feelings through strict mental discipline, or the Armavaenye, who embrace their sensitive nature, drawing strength from their intense emotions, the Mihradaenye tend to repress their emotions and keep them in check, in favour of embracing logic, rationality and stoicism. This does not at all mean every action they take or thought they think is dictated by logic or reason, nor are they unfeeling automatons - indeed, the Mihradaenye are a deeply sensitive and emotional people. Rather, they prefer to conceal their true feelings on a subject except in intimate company, and tend to take a more detached and impartial view of matters, making an attempt to shunt their emotion out of a given subject in order to examine and understand it more fully before investing their feelings in a particular matter. This does not imply, however, that they are inconsiderate of the views or feelings of others. The Mihradaenye, as a people who value scholarly learning and wisdom above all others, are among the most intelligent of the elven subraces, favouring intellectual pursuits and having a greater capacity of knowledge retention, in no small part due to their emphasis on meditation and mental exercises. This need not imply, however, that they look down upon the more physical aspects of life, for they fully understand the value of fighting, crafting and hard labour; but as a society, they prefer to allow magic and psionics to augment the physical, and simply place more importance on what others could consider to be erudite matters. As a people, the Mihradaenye are deeply spiritual, introverted, quiet, discreet, somewhat cold and stiff, restrained and patient, not prone to great emotional outbursts - but when they lose control, either willingly or unwillingly, their passion can match that of the most fiery Armavaenye. This is something largely seen in private, as the Mihradaenye often only display great affection or open emotion in the company of those they trust and cherish. In public, a small smile can be akin to boisterous laughter, and shedding tears, akin to wailing grief.